Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 本ほん 人にん に 聞き く to ask the person in question directly, rather than someone else
Please ask the person themselves for the details.
本ほん 人にん 以い 外がい 〈 人ひと 〉 anyone other than the person themselves
We can't tell the contents to anyone other than the person themselves.
本ほん 人にん が 〈 事こと 〉 と 認みと める the person themselves admits to (something)
The culprit fled, but he himself admitted to the crime.
Related words 当人 is a slightly more formal or legal term for the person in question, while 本人 is the everyday, general-purpose word.
自身 attaches to a noun or pronoun to mean 'itself/oneself' (e.g. 彼自身 ), whereas 本人 stands alone as a noun meaning 'the person in question'.
本人 is the common, everyday way to say 'the person themselves', whereas 同人 carries a stiffer, bureaucratic or literary tone.
同氏 simply refers back to a previously named person in formal writing, while 本人 stresses 'the person in question themselves' as opposed to someone else acting on their behalf.
Opposites· 6 他人 means 'someone else, an unrelated person', the direct opposite of 本人 , which specifies the very person being discussed.
第三者 refers to an uninvolved third party, contrasted with 本人 who is directly involved as the person themselves.
本人 refers to the actual person themselves, in contrast to 代理 , who acts in that person's place.
Show 3 more Show fewer 本人 means 'the person themselves' (the one actually in question), the opposite of 別人 , which means 'a different person entirely'.
本人 refers to the person themselves acting directly, in contrast to 代理人 who acts on someone else's behalf.
本人 refers to the person directly concerned, the opposite of 傍 , which refers to outsiders looking on from the sidelines.
Don't confuse with 本人 just means 'the person themselves' with no implication of blame, unlike 張本人 which specifically means the person responsible for causing trouble.
本人 (with 人 ) is the everyday, neutral word for 'the person himself,' while 本尊 (with 尊 ) shares the same joking meaning but carries a mock-reverent, Buddhist-derived flavor.
Word family· 8 originator; ringleader; main culprit; person responsible
person's own account; direct statement from the person
party to the case; parties concerned
the person in question; the very person
depends on the person themselves; up to the individual
Show 3 more Show fewer identity verification; identity confirmation
pro se lawsuit; lawsuit without a lawyer
self-pay; out-of-pocket payment; bearing one's own costs
Etymology Compound of 本 (ほん , 'main', 'this') and 人 (にん , 'person'). The exact historical derivation is straightforward; the word has been used since at least the Edo period to refer to the person in question.
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